"We've lost comms with Alpha-B. Sector 5 isn't responding."
The operations officer, a man in a crisp space uniform, hurried behind Commander Ellen Homes. She didn't slow her pace, her boots echoing on the metal floor as she moved toward The Bridge. The ship's command deck, a nexus of screens and control panels, was the heart of the vessel, but right now it felt more like a tomb.
"What's the closest available Port to Sector 5?" she demanded, her voice a low growl of controlled urgency.
The officer pulled up a display on his forearm console. "Outpost-4A, ma'am. But it's also affected."
They burst onto the deck, the hum of electronics filling the air.
"Ma'am, incoming call from Outpost-4A!" a communications officer called out, turning from her console.
"Get me connected," Ellen ordered. The comms officer nodded and her fingers flew across a touchpad.
"This is Commander Ellen Homes from Sector 1 of the NEXUS program. What's your status on the Nova Core?" she spoke into the comms, her voice clear and authoritative.
Silence. Only a static hiss answered her.
"Hello, Outpost-4A, do you copy?" she tried again.
The static crackled, but no one responded. Frustration boiled over. She slammed her fist on the console in front of her. Just as the sound of the impact faded, a voice finally cut through the static.
"Hello, Commander."
It was a voice that set every nerve on edge—smooth, confident, and dripping with a sinister undertone. All eyes on the bridge snapped to the speaker.
"This is Commander Ellen Homes from Sector 1. Identify yourself," she replied, her confusion barely masked.
"Enough with the introduction. I already know who you are, but let's get you to know who I am," the voice taunted. "I am responsible for the missing Nova Core. It's a tragedy that the Alpha-B fleet lost their lives trying to retrieve it."
Ellen's expression hardened. "I'm sure you're well aware of the laws you've broken and the uncountable crimes you'll be charged with."
As she spoke, the operations officer leaned in, his own hand-held screen pressed into her view. "I don't know who this is, but the encryption on this call is extremely tight and complex. We can't extract the information we need."
"You're quite a confident one, Commander," the voice sneered, "but I'm sure you'd cut your own tongue if you knew the type of being you're talking to."
"I know you're a being who's in a lot of trouble," Ellen shot back, her calm facade crumbling. "I'll ask once more. Where is the Nova Core?"
Her shout was swallowed by a violent jolt. The entire ship rocked, throwing crew members off their feet. Alarms blared, red lights flashing across the deck.
"What... what the hell was that?" the operations officer gasped, struggling to regain his balance.
"Commander!" a flight officer yelled, pointing toward the main viewport.
Ellen pulled herself to her feet and rushed to the massive window. Her breath caught in her throat. Before her, a chilling sight unfolded: a huge, gaping hole in the fabric of space itself. Entire solar systems, stars, and galaxies were simply… gone. The void was so vast it could be seen from millions of light-years away.
"What you're looking at is the first phase of my operation," the voice echoed, a chilling calm in its tone. "With the help of the Nova Core, I will rewrite this corrupt universe into something divine. The greatest work of man is its greatest downfall. Man has corrupted this reality with its beliefs, technologies, and way of life. Therefore, that corruption shall be its inevitable downfall."
The voice went silent, leaving only the deafening hum of the ship and the horrified gasps of the crew. They stared in stunned silence at the cosmic wound, at the trillions of lives that had been erased in an instant.
"Oh my God," one crew member whispered.
"Entire solar systems... erased," another added, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ellen's fury ignited. She strode away from the window, her hands clenching and unclenching. She swept a collection of data pads off a console, sending them clattering to the floor. "Send a message to every field agent, every sector, everyone! We need to find the bastard who did this!" she roared.
A group of scientists in lab coats entered the deck, their expressions grave.
"Ma'am, you need to see this," a man in a white and yellow striped coat said, holding up a screen. "We've just gotten readings from multiple points in space. There have been multiple instances of complete disintegration tearing through the space-time continuum, with the Nova Core at the center of it all."
Ellen fixed him with a stare. "And?"
"What this means is that someone has not only successfully cracked the code to fully access the Nova Core, but they've also built a machine that can harness that energy. We couldn't crack the code with our most advanced technology, but there is one person who could: the one who invented the Nova Core itself. He might know how to stop this mess."
The weight of his words settled over Ellen. She walked slowly to a control panel and rested her palm on it, her face a mask of conflict. The name was a ghost on her lips.
"Blackmoor."
"Exactly," the scientist confirmed, seeing the doubt in her eyes. "He's the one we need right now."
"Lives have been erased, Commander Ellen," the operations officer interjected. "Who knows what that psychopath might do next? If Blackmoor is the only option left, I'd like to take my chances."
The truth of their words was undeniable. Ellen's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Alright, fine," she said, the words heavy with resignation.
"Begin the search for a suspect. Set course for Atlas-A and bring me Blackmoor as soon as possible!" she commanded, her voice ringing with newfound purpose.
As the crew scattered to their stations, a new look of grim determination replacing their shock, Ellen returned to the viewport. She stared at the cosmic wound, the serious look on her face a promise.
"This better be worth the trouble," she muttered to herself as the ship engaged its engines and vanished into the vastness of space.